Staff Pick: Milo at Rumba

Wednesday

Dec 13, 2017 at 5:05 PM

Maine rapper wants to “grow and expand and consume whole galaxies”

Andy Downing Editor @andydowning33

“I just want to die in the name of something great,” raps Milo on “Take Advantage of the Naysayers” before abruptly changing course. “Now, I don't wanna die at all/I wanna grow and expand and consume whole galaxies.”

The Portland, Maine, rapper attempts to do just that on Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?!, from 2017, which finds him growing his reach by reining in some of his more experimental tendencies. Sure, Milo still employs expansive, airy soundscapes, such as on “Landscaping,” which pairs a haunted backdrop of ethereal piano with relentless, machinelike drums, and his wordplay can still reflect his inner Scrabble champ (“Wipe me down with celerity/Hold myself with alacrity,” goes one line). But the MC sounds increasingly grounded on Who Told You, rhyming about relationships, technological creep and the role of the artist in society. Besides, it's easier to devour things whole from the center than it is by nibbling around the edges.